£9 million-plus bus funding boost welcomed by local MP
The Government has made a bumper bus investment in Central Bedfordshire, and handed the council new powers and the long-term certainty it has long said it needed to improve local transport. Local MP Alex Mayer said “the ball is now in their court and passengers will expect improvements.”
£9 million+ national government investment has been confirmed for Central Beds up until 2029. This follows hot on the heels of local authorities being handed the opportunity to take far greater control over how bus services are run.
The Bus Services Act hands the council the keys to the whole network: they can call the shots on routes, fares and timetables, deciding what runs and who runs it.
They can protect lifeline routes that private firms might ditch. They can demand tickets that work on every bus, a top gripe of passengers.
Plus the council can choose to take charge of all the ticket money themselves and pay operators to run the services to the council’s plan. And if they really want to shake things up, they can set up their own bus company.
Central Bedfordshire Councillors then decide how much local resources they additionally want to invest on the buses.
Alex Mayer MP said: “People in Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Houghton Regis and local villages rely on buses to get to work, education and healthcare, connect with friends and family, visit high streets, and so much more. Now Central Bedfordshire Council has the money, the powers and the certainty. Residents will now rightly expect better buses.”
Lydia Horbury, CEO Bus Users UK, said: "Passengers have faced years of cuts and uncertainty, so long-term funding for buses is extremely welcome. Giving local authorities the stability to plan ahead and invest in the services their communities rely on is essential if we’re to reverse decline and rebuild confidence in bus travel. We particularly welcome the flexibility for authorities to prioritise what matters most to passengers, whether that’s lower fares, more frequent services, zero emission buses or safer, more accessible infrastructure.”
Central Bedfordshire is one of a handful of councils who previously have not taken part in the Transport Focus’ ‘your bus journey’ annual survey that gathers feedback from passengers nationwide. As a condition of the national funding they must now take part which will help gather important data.